Dear Praying Warriors,
It is my witness that the greatest healing mercies Anna has received are miracles. It started the day she was born when God produced a Neonatologist for Anna’s cesarian, intubation, monitoring, and medication at a hospital that doesn’t have a neonatologist on staff -she was visiting that hospital at the time and place of Anna’s birth. Then came the miracle of blood pressure stabilization later that week when all the possible meds were given and still she was failing, overnight she normalized her blood pressure on her own. Then came the shunt brain surgery at 6 weeks old where the infection rate is 70%, no complications experienced. More recently the hypsarrhythmia without seizures or infantile spasms, our neurologist said “there’s no literature on that.” We have grown accustomed to Anna being God’s anomaly when compared to other kids with her diagnosis. We know it’s the faith of you, the reader acting in prayer that brings Anna to Jesus. She needs to be lifted up again! Please join us again to ask God for renewed healing of Anna.
We cannot defeat cerebral palsy; it has no cure. At best our expert doctors perform palliative (comfort) care on Anna by managing symptoms. What the doctors have done for her are great gifts of mercy from God, I don’t deny that. But What hope is there for a godless parent once they accept the counsel of experts for their child? Their “best case” is a manmade projection with only as much audacity as the doctor suggests.
What a shallow contrast to Anna’s Lead Physician. Our Doctor has never told us a lie, prescribed the wrong medication, or been late. Our doctor, Jesus Christ understands the suffering of the innocent more than anyone who ever lived. Jesus outlasts, overrides, and overcomes all illness! He is the King of kings, but also Jesus is the Physician of physicians. His waiting room is called “hope that doesn’t disappoint.” Let our faith sound foolish to the faithless regarding immanent healing. In overcoming the world Jesus overcame cerebral palsy! Let’s be of good cheer, though we have trouble. I know Jesus is not about the wheel chair life for Anna forever.
At Anna’s latest Doctor visit, my heart dropped at the sight of the two contrasting x-rays of Anna’s hips one year apart. Our routine check-up appointment was no longer routine. The orthopedic surgeon explained how my daughter’s right hip is close to 60% dislocated and her left one is 50%. He walked me through what the surgery will look like as it seems unavoidable now. I was overcome with tears and sorrow as he explained the cutting, bone repositioning, and difficult recovery that needs to take place. I was holding Anna apologizing to her. The muscle relaxers, the Botox injections, the stander, the stretching, the therapists were no match for her increased growth in muscle density and tone. Being non weight bearing was the biggest problem the doctor explained because the femur bends into the socket through walking and standing during the first few years. As a parent, did we do all we could? We are scheduling the surgery in early summer and exhausting all our medical resources to make sure consensus is reached about what to do. Anna is not in pain right now, but dislocation creates constant pain, inability to sit, arthritis, and scoliosis.
On the drive home I prayed aloud with Anna, we committed these heavy burdens to the Lord, knowing He is my shepherd and will equip. The Lord is quick to always remind me of the cerebral palsy kids in third world countries that live out their days in the pain my daughter will escape Lord willing. Praying changes me, softens me, surrenders me. I will never forget how the shunt was something that I didn’t want for my daughter, I feared it. But as the praying continued and the surgery was confirmed repeatedly. We persisted in prayer to find that God’s Spirit gently, peacefully within me helped me reconsider the shunt as the provision that He supplied for Anna. Join me in praying for God’s full healing, supernaturally fixing Anna’s hip sockets and aligning the ball of the femur into the hip. This would cause great glory to God. A cloud of witnesses to be filled with faith in the Living God having seen the miraculous. May Anna make the evening news.
Please Pray:
I don’t know where to start with individual requests, May God place burdens of prayer on you for Anna. Please join me praying this prayer my bride wrote:
“Father, you have told us to pray ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.’ We know that in your heavenly kingdom there is no disability - bring that to earth for Anna. We know it is not your will for people to suffer - bring your will for Anna’s life on earth. Yes, You can use suffering, but suffering is not from You. Father, there is common grace available to all mankind through doctors and medication. Thank you. But these things have failed to help us. They cannot heal. Father, we are turning to you and asking for your help. Help from heaven. Supernatural help. We are asking for help that the world cannot give. Do not turn us away. Do not say our best hope is back where we came from - in a doctor who is limited in understanding, limited in skill. How would that make us any different from those who do not acknowledge You or call on Your name? We have access to You the eternal God who created all things, why should our resources be limited to the same common grace available to all unbelieving people who revile the name of the Lord? Lord, have mercy on Your people. Uphold our faith in You in this skeptical world. Father, you do not lack compassion; You do not lack power; You do not lack knowledge or understanding of Anna’s condition. You are able to help. You do not need to work through a doctor or a surgery. You can work through your Word, through Your breath, through Your spirit. I know You hear us cry to You for Anna. Manifest Your virtue of healing, Father, for Your glory. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray.”
Grateful, hopeful, united in Christ,
